User:Uswego/William Reischert Viernheim

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William Reischert Viernheim was born in Viernheim, Germany. After attending elementary school he completed a four year apprenticeship in lettering and painting. After World War II he free-lanced as an artist and painter. The road of self taught artist led through intensive studies or art, literature, original works of famous artists to paintings and drawing from nature to fantasy. Mr. Reischert studied at the Evening Academy in Mannheim, Germany from 1947 to 1949. In 1950 he became a member of the League of Creative Artists of Baden-Wuettemberg. He demonstrated his talent in Viernheim, Mannheim, Heildelberg and Zurich at the Galerie Bernadetti. His first one man show in Germany took place at the the Flaggstone Inn Service Club at the Kaefertaler Taylor Barracks. He participated in group exhibitions at the Viernheimer School, The Mannheim Hall or Arts and the Heidelberger Art Club. In 1957 Mr. Reischert imigrated to the United States with his wife, son and daughter. He earned his living working at Arnold Constable, a leading department store. His first one man show in the United States was held at the Ligoa Duncan Gallery in 1962 in New York City exhibiting over eighty works. Although the show coincided with a newspaper strike, it was it was well attended and received favorable reviews. His artistic career continued with a permanent exhibition at the Shelby Restaurant in the Wall Street district from 1966 to 1970. In honor of his birthplace he adopted the name Wilhelm Reischert Viernheim. Starting in 1973 he participated in the annual Washington Square Outdoor Exhibit. His many awards include the Robert Morrison Memorial Award for which he won fifth prize for his original drawing “Alleyway in Kremms, Austria.”. First prize was awarded to a mixed media piece called “Space Target”; first prize for his winning sculpture called “The Cross” subtitled “Nuclear Warning” which was won at the Fifth Avenue Arsenol in Manhattan. In 1974 he attended the New School for Social Research to improve his etching technique. Working as a commercial artist in New York at the time he won first prize in the artistic window display contest at F.W. Woolworth. Mr. Reischert participated in an exhibition of the city’s emerging older artists and was a member of the Astoria Community Senior Center where he won an award for “Composition Without a Title”. Oil, acrylic, wool collage, paper collage, sand and sawdust were used. It was not unusual to see the artist around the community sketching and he welcomes questions and commentary from passerby regarding his love of nature and art and his tremendous passion for creating something beautiful. An exhibition of Viernheimer artists was held in January of 1976 in Germany. As many as one hundred works were flown across the Atlantic by Mr. Reischert. This self taught artist has created works in watercolor, acrylic, oils, pen and ink, collage, etchings, woodcuts, charcoal and according to his family has painted on any surface available at the moment inspiration surfaced including linoleum. His contrasting styles include realistic, impressionistic, cubism, expressionistic and surrealistic. Mr. Reischert belonged to those independent and multi-faceted artists whose works will continue to honor his talent for decades to come.